According to David Axelrod, a White House senior advisor, Obama has a "belief in transparency" that was one of the major factors he considered when making this important decision (Allen para. 2). The fact that the release of these documents has increased the government's transparency, at least in regards to the matter of torture, cannot be denied. When he chose to release the documents, President Obama knew that they would be damaging to the government's image. Certainly, images of prisoners being harshly interrogated do not bode well for the government, regardless of what one believes about the topic. Thus, this step shows that Obama is ready to show the United States and the world even those images that make the United States look bad, so that all parties concerned can grow from them and citizens have the information that they need to make good decisions about who to vote for as well as when to protect themselves. Thus, the new standards of transparency not only set a new threshold for openness, but also for safety. Once again, the adage that knowledge is power fits here. Armed with the openness that the government has now committed to provide, American citizens can be defenders of their safety, defending themselves from the government's attempt to engage in their lives where this is not necessary. For instance, if the American people know that such methods of torture are being used, they know to be careful in the altercations of authority and to understand that they may need to protect themselves through legal council one day if they find themselves in this type of situation. Of course, some would argue that President Obama's decision to release the memos does not set a new threshold of transparency. Instead, they would claim that the act was just a publicity stunt done for political motives. Worried that controversy in the news regarding his position on Guantanamo Bay, Barack Obama could easily have decided to release the memos simply to boost his image, without intending to maintain this commitment to openness. In addition, it is a reasonable argument to suggest that the new openness, if indeed a new standard of openness has been set, will not affect the safety of citizens because they are not informed enough to do anything...
Further, some would argue that the decision to become transparent both now and in the future is actually harming these people, as it increases the likelihood of enemies knowing United States' security practices. While these arguments are, certainly, logical, one must listen to them without the pessimism that is innate in their articulation. Thinking hopefully, the American citizen can choose to believe that President Obama's decision to release the memos, a decision that took him weeks to decide, can be seen as setting new thresholds for both openness and safety if leaders continue to live up tot his image and citizens learn how to manage the knowledge that they take in.
Unemployment stands at a respectable 4.6%. Well, fine. But the other side of the ledger groans with distress: a tax code that has become hideously biased in favor of the rich; a national debt that will probably have grown 70% by the time this president leaves Washington; a swelling cascade of mortgage defaults; a record near-$850 billion trade deficit; oil prices that are higher than they have ever been;
In the course of his campaign, Obama inspired millions of Americans - young and old, rich and poor, rural and urban, and from every racial and ethnic background. When Obama walked into the room. . The crowd was transfixed (Tufankjuan, 2008). The goal, of course, is that in politics, as well as society, race plays no part in the decision process. Thanks to previous Civil Rights advocates, and people
Obama and Reagan Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama Point-by-Point There are parallels between the presidency of Ronald Reagan and Barak Obama. The similarities between the leaders make for an uncomplicated comparison; however, the differences provide greater explanatory power. Barak Obama has been credited with some of the stellar qualities of Ronald Reagan. There oratory skills are comparable and they were both popular at the beginning of their terms. Reagan became a republican icon.
Obama Care Plan Health care is undergoing a dramatic transformation and needless to say it is one of our largest industries that contribute handsomely to the Gross Domestic Product, greater demands are placed for the value of dollars that are being spent to provide for healthcare services to patients. Now-a-days, in this ever demanding environment marketing as a discipline is being practiced (Berkowitz, October 2010) In early days it was a great
Obama energy policy in relation to the economy of the United State of America's 21st century economy. It begins with a general description of the policies and then proceeds and outlines the various elements of the policy. After the analysis the paper then presents the criticisms that are waged against the policy. A conclusions and recommendations are then presented at the end of the paper. These are geared towards
Obama & Romney -- Foreign Policy Approaches If "realist" stands for a person who pursues "security" based on "self-interest," "determinism," and "morality" on the international scene (quotes chosen from Chapter 1); and if "liberal" stands for "capable of cooperating," "cooperation," the impact of "non-governmental groups" (NGOs), "having many interests" and "international society," then President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney both reflect some of each of these traits, albeit Obama leans more
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now